Internal Medicine Trends and Clinical Trial Exploration in the African American Community The National Medical Association Internal Medicine Scientific Section would like to submit an application for consideration of R13 NIH Conference Support funding application for our upcoming 2014 Annual Convention & Scientific Assembly. We would like to include a comprehensive proposal that will focus on endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, HIV/AIDS, gastroenterology, cardiology, and nephrology subspecialty topics as well as the importance of minority participation in clinical trials. Our Convention will be held August 2 - 6, 2014 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The proposed title of the session is Internal Medicine Trends and Clinical Trial Exploration in the African American Community. This program will consist of a three and a half hour scientific session and panel discussion that will explore current issues that have high program relevance to NIDDK areas of scientific interest. We will address current topics in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, HIV/AIDS, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, and Nephrology that impact the African American community and other minority populations such as diabetes, hepatitis C, and kidney disease. The conference will assemble populations of investigators that benefit from cross-talk but do not typically interact as we will have specialists presenting key information as well as other specialists and generalists within the fields of internal medicine and family medicine attending our sessions. NIH funds will meet a critical need not adequately met by other sources. This conference will provide an excellent training environment for early career investigators and trainees as many seasoned investigators participate in our planning committee and will serve as invited speakers. Our conference program will be sure to include women and members from under-represented in research such as African American researchers. Finally, we will include early career investigators/trainees in our meeting to engage in networking and learn about the development of research tools. There are five objectives to this conference session: 1) Provide a forum for cross-disciplinary exchange of ideas to further discuss current trends of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, HIV/AIDS, gastroenterology, cardiology, and nephrology. 2) Foster opportunities for early stage faculty and trainee investigators to network and further learn about current research in the internal medicine areas of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, HIV/AIDS, gastroenterology, cardiology, and nephrology. 3) Promote opportunities for early stage faculty and trainee investigators to present research findings and interact with more senior investigators working in the internal medicine areas of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, HIV/AIDS, gastroenterology, cardiology, and nephrology. 4) Produce an overview of the importance of minority participation in clinical trials. 5) Discuss recruitment and retention strategies to engage diverse populations in clinical research. There are two primary objectives of the Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism session: 1) To discuss the effects of new treatment paradigms on long-term micro and macro-vascular complications of diabetes. 2) To address effective approaches to prevention of diabetes and obesity. These objectives are consistent with the mission of NIDDK in translating research findings from the bench to the bedside that will further impact health care outcomes in underserved populations.